1984Echoes

Last 3 items on my offseason shopping list: Carlos Correa Corey Knebel Wily Peralta or similar to stash at AAA and compete for (or win) the 5th spot.

Health. That's really the ONLY reason to have Blough play a game (today or next week or otherwise) while Goff sits. On that basis, I agree with the confusion over Campbell not sitting Goff for one game when he was clearly at much less than 100%. Maybe Campbell was trying to establish Goff's toughness? For locker room purposes?

Goff at QB makes perfect sense for a rebuilding team. What exactly is being wasted?

Errr... Goff will be the starter in 2022, and maybe even in 2023... until we draft a QB and that QB is ready to take over the starting spot.

It's not like they have a whole lot of competition here... Houston has 1 win and the Jaguars and Jets have 2 wins... I don't think we'll get 2 wins, and we'll be lucky to even nab 1 against Chicago...

Montreal Canadiens, 4-10-1, 1-5-0 AWAY ESPN+ 7:00 PM Detroit Red Wings, 7-6-2, 4-2-2 HOME

By bringing a weapon, loaded for bear? Sure.

Bingo. And Funkhauser was a 4th.

This is the key. I see you also moved the goalposts since you realized Manning was not a top 5 1st rounder. But he's still draft and develop since he was so raw coming out of HS...

Yeah I saw the 7-1 shots on goal start... Must've deteriorated from there...

Ewww... maybe not such a good start after all... They're now down 2-0 with 2 minutes to go in the 1st period...

PS: Greiss is in goal tonight FYI.

That's Funny!!!

Correct. So we better hope this really is temporary and, during this winter (when the economy slows down naturally, at least a little bit), that inflation tempers relatively quickly. Personally, I still think this is an inflation blip due to restarting the economy from 20%-to-99% speed due to the pandemic. And things will get back to normal by March. Just in time for campaigning season...

Give me ONE top tier and... I won't worry about who ends up at the back end (5th starter) of the rotation. IE: Get me JV, and I'm happy.

Ned is just THAT good.

If no one else is starting this: Washington Capitals, 6-2-4, 2-1-1 AWAY ESPN+ 7:30 PM AT Detroit Red Wings, 7-5-2, 4-1-2 HOME

I think Faedo starts at AAA but ends up in Detroit's BP by mid-season June/July-ish... And dominates out of the BP...

I have a different short-cut, which is... IF you have a good Draft & Develop team: It may be possible to avoid my "second 10 years" for Model #1 (no championships but good for the prior decade; second decade = also-ran never making the playoffs, but trying with FA's or other methods.) By having some talented players coming up IF the farm system is maintained (not having top 10 1st rounders coming up but other prospects that were developed...), another pathway is provided to build serious play contending teams. But if a team is NOT good at drafting & developing, basically an empty farm system, then (A) IMO, there's no choice but to follow Model A in order to first repair the Farm System and then, hopefully, turn Model #2 into Model #1, or better... Including a Championship or two. But (B) An empty farm system means trying to maintain a playoff caliber team that no longer is playoff caliber, with nothing in the farm system to support being a playoff contender, is a fruitless and maddening exercise. With the most likely outcome a string of less than .500 teams, no years making the playoffs, and worse then losing 110 games each year for 5 years straight. Again, IMO. To me, it ALL depends on the farm system... if a team maintains it, it opens up multiple pathways, not just one (lose 110 games for 5 years straight to get a good team...). But if there's an empty farm system, I have no interest in trying to hunt 85 wins in a string of 75 win seasons. No thank you.

This. And by this, I mean playoff contender, NOT a middling 80 wins team every year that isn't good enough to make the playoffs. I mean a 90+ win team that makes the playoffs roughly 7 times out of 10 and just misses the other 3. With a championship or two tossed in there...

There's a problem with your model here... you haven't talked about the SECOND 10 years: - Model #1: team's stars age out or hit FA, and there's nothing left in the pipeline. Trying to maintain the "glory" of the past 10 years, this team signs some FA's to fill the gaps and try to continue winning like they did the past 10 years. But they don't. The FA's falter and the rest of the team is too old or just not good enough any more. In THESE 10 years: Model #1 team loses an average 87 games. A few seasons they get above .500 and threaten making the playoffs, but never quite get there. Their middling draft picks turn into average or less Major Leaguers, with several flopping out or just not making it at all to MLB. They go through 6 Manager changes in this decade trying to "find something", but never do. Their .463 winning percentage for the decade is admirable, as is their willingness to try to win... But it also becomes known in the team's lore as the "Lost Decade". - Model #2: In this decade, Model #2 becomes... Model #1. Averaging 95 wins in this decade though, Model #2 also wins another two Championships and makes another WS, losing to the dreaded Colorado Rockies. The only black spot in the decade for Model #2.

But hey... I'd take that if it meant good middle innings relief for the Tigers.

And an MLB middle reliever at best.

Can I get the 96-05 Braves PLUS the 2010 Royals? 10 competitive playoff-type years plus one Ring?

Yeah I know... But... I think there's a serious question right now on whether he can get back to that. Maybe I should have said "if Goff can't get back to doing that". Maybe that would have been a bit clearer... So... if he can't... On to "next".